Men's Track & Field | 1/4/2019 7:10:00 AM

Schedule | Live Scoring

FAIRFAX, Va. – A five-month season begins on Saturday for the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams.

And while the Father Diamond Invitational might be a distant memory come the end of May when the season concludes, Patriots head coach Andrew Gerard believes the first meet can offer a glimpse of which student-athletes might be on track for a strong season.

"We always joke about how low-key the Father Diamond meet is but the people who show up and take care of business at Father Diamond more often than not are still there at the end of the year, taking care of business," Gerard said. "You joke about the first meet of the year and it is just a rust-buster. But more often than not, the kids who show up at Father Diamond and do what they are capable of at this time of year and take care of business, they are still around at the end of the year and still doing good things. It doesn't mean the kids who maybe have a rough first meet won't be there at the end of the year… but one of the things we stress is taking care of what you are capable of when you get out there."

The Patriots open the indoor season by hosting the Father Diamond Invitational at the Field House on Saturday. The day begins at 11 a.m. with the women's long jump. The running events start at noon with the men's 60-meter dash.

The field will feature eight schools, including James Madison, Howard, Bowie State, Norfolk State, Virginia Union, Texas State and Bryant & Stratton College. Nearly all of Mason's athletes will compete in the opening meet.

"It is always exciting to get going," Gerard said. "Some of these kids have been waiting nine months since their last opportunity. It is always exciting the first time you put on the jersey, to get out there to line up and compete. It is exciting for us to see where some of these kids are. You see them at practice and you can get a pretty good gage but there is often a difference when you flip that switch to competitive mode and see what people are made of when you get on the runway and get in the blocks for the first time."

This will be the first of three home indoor meets for the Patriots, who will also host the Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 23-24 at the Field House. Mason finished second in both the men's and women's team results at last year's A-10 indoor championships.